Diachronic trends in humeral cortical thickness of near Eastern populations

Humeral cortical thickness measurements (CCT) were taken from radiographs of four Near Eastern skelctal samples dated to the Epi-Paleolithic (Natufian), Middle Bronze I (MBI), Roman/Byzantine and Early Arab periods. Epi-Paleolithic CCT values in both sexes were significantly higher than those of any other group. In the males, Epi-Paleolithic CCT values were extremely high when compared with those of living populations, while CCT values in the MBI to Early Arabs were within the range considered normal for living populations. In the females Natufian and MBI CCT values fell within the range considered normal for living females, while the Roman/Byzantine and Early Arab CCT values were diagnostic of severe osteopenia. We consider that in the males, the exceptionally high Epi-Paleolithic values relfect functional demands associated with technological constraints and activity patterns of males at that time. In the same female groups, function presumably changed less drastically over time. The exceptionally low CCT values observed in the later groups were attributed to the combination of poor health status and calcium drain caused by pregnancy and lactation.